More New Openings – Graz gastro family cooks up to Munich

“We lost at least a year due to the pandemic, but thanks to reduced working hours we were able to retain our employees and get to work quickly. Now we are going back to new openings,” beams Michael Grossauer, descendant of the Graz gastro family of the same name, which has already built 20 companies with almost 500 employees and generates a turnover of approximately 40 million euros.

Soon tapas bar in Baden and another fish restaurant
Holiday apartments “Winzerkajüten” have recently been opened in Gamlitz, “the ‘Goldkost’ in the Graz country house is still fixed, in the autumn I would like to open a tapas bar in Baden/Vienna, and I also have my eye on another fish restaurant ” , says Grossauer, who is mainly responsible for the group’s “El Gaucho” steakhouses. There are five, the one in Baden/Vienna will soon be celebrating its eleventh birthday. “We came up with the concept through a meeting with an Argentine meat expert.”

An “El Gaucho” at the Viktualienmarkt
Another personal contact brought the move to Germany: Graz-born Arnold Schwarzenegger helped company founder Franz Grossauer set up gastro stands at Munich’s Oktoberfest, and there is now an “El Gaucho” on the famous Viktualienmarkt.

Senior boss Grossauer started in the 1980s with foam rollers and as the “Schnitzelkönig” in various markets and has expanded enormously since then. Besides the steak restaurants there is the “Schlossberg” in Graz, two beer houses, fish restaurants (Fischwirt im Urmeer, el Pescador), a café and hotels and holiday apartments.

They are managed by the founder’s children. Depending on the location, there is a strong focus on local suppliers of wine, pastries, etc. For other items such as pasta, gnocchi or soups, a central kitchen has been set up in Graz to guarantee uniform quality.

“Find more people to Mexico”
However, further expansion also depends on the staff. “We even offer a four-day work week and are looking for more people as far as Mexico.”